By Nathan Guerra
Introduction
Every year, millions of people visit the Acropolis in Athens to marvel at the beauty of the Parthenon. Originally built as a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena after the Greeks’ victory over the Persians, this architectural masterpiece embodies the legacy of the Athenian Golden Age.
In 1801, Lord Elgin is said to have received a Firman, a royal decree or official document issued by the Ottoman Empire granting permission or authority, which allegedly allowed him to remove and export sculptures from the Parthenon and other ancient buildings on the Acropolis. This led to Lord Elgin removing what is estimated to be half of the surviving sculptures from the Parthenon ruins.
The British government has housed the Parthenon Marbles in the British Museum since purchasing them from Lord Elgin in 1816. The British Museum has denied every request from the Greek government to return the Marbles to Athens.
Repatriation is the process of returning stolen items of cultural value back to their place of origin. Many examples of repatriation exist, such as when Bowling Green State University returned stolen mosaics to Turkey in 2018.
Many opponents of the Parthenon Marbles’ repatriation believe that returning them would open the floodgates to widespread demands for the return of other items to their places of origin. While concerns about opening Pandora’s Box by repatriating the Parthenon Marbles are understandable, their return is essential to rectifying the wrong of their removal, restoring the Marbles to their rightful cultural context, and reflecting a growing consensus in public opinion.
Figure 1: Parthenon Statues on display at the British Museum
The Parthenon as a Symbol of Athenian Greatness
The Parthenon epitomizes all the great cultural achievements of the Athenians.
This great structure could not have been built without the Greeks’ innovations in mathematics, philosophy, religion, and democracy.
When the Persian army sacked Athens in 480 BCE, they set fire to the Acropolis, destroying several sacred structures, including the early Parthenon. The people of Greece defended themselves against the vastly larger Persian Empire, altering the course of world history. I consider this to be the most significant of all Ancient Greek achievements.
Cultural Context and the Case for Reunification
The Parthenon Marbles cannot be properly understood independently of their cultural context. This is why they must be reunited with the Parthenon in Athens.
The significance of the Parthenon Marbles can be better understood at the Acropolis Museum than at the British Museum. Just one kilometer away from the Parthenon, the Acropolis Museum contains numerous artifacts from antiquity, including other sculptures originally from the Parthenon. The Acropolis Museum has proven that it can preserve these sculptures and present them to the world.
The British Museum fails to recognize the crucial connection between great works of art and their cultural origins. The refusal of the British Museum to reunite the Parthenon Marbles with the other Parthenon Statues demonstrates a lack of respect for these cultural treasures. The effect on visitors is less profound than it could be if the Parthenon Marbles were displayed in their original context among the renowned art and architecture of Athens.
Figure 2: Photo of the Parthenon in Athens
Questioning Legality and Moral Authority
The British Museum acquired the Parthenon Marbles through methods they should not take pride in. There are many questions about the legality of Elgin’s removal of the statues.
Zeynep Boz, the head of the Anti-Smuggling Department at Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, states:
“Turkey is the country that would have the archived document pertaining to things that were sold legally at that time. Historians have for years searched the Ottoman archives and have not been able to find a ‘Firman’ proving that the sale was legal, as it is being claimed.” (Boz, The Guardian)
This statement challenges the legitimacy of the long-held position of the British Government.
Elena Korka, the honorary director of antiquities and cultural heritage at the Greek culture ministry, states:
“This is a very senior Turkish official who has all the archives, all the services at her disposal and what she is saying, that nothing has been found, that there is no document, is hugely important. They looked and couldn’t find it and that’s because it never existed.” (Korka, The Guardian)
The Case for Cultural Stewardship
This is a strong argument because the British Museum’s primary defense of its possession of the Parthenon Marbles is based on their legality, but I believe it also misses the point. Whether or not the 19th century Ottoman government authorized Elgin to remove statues from the Parthenon does not change the fact that the action itself is criminal. Unless the goddess Athena herself came to Lord Elgin, he did not have legitimate authority to remove statues from the Parthenon.
Cultural monuments must be preserved, and no one, regardless of their jurisdiction, should have the authority to order their destruction or alteration. The removal of the Parthenon Marbles caused permanent damage to the Parthenon itself. This clear disregard for the Parthenon highlights why those disconnected from it should not be in possession of any of its artifacts.
The Greek people are the most deeply connected to the Parthenon and, therefore, should be entrusted with its preservation and care, including all relics related to it.
Public Opinion and Cultural Ownership
Figure 3: This survey from YouGov shows that only 17% of British people said that the British Museum should keep the Elgin Marbles in Britain
The majority of the public of both Greece and the United Kingdom support the return of the Parthenon Marbles. The poll from YouGov shows that only 17% of British people say that the Parthenon Marbles should remain in Britain.
This backs up my previous statement that Greeks are the most deeply connected to the Parthenon Marbles. The citizens of the United Kingdom do not take pride in possessing the statues in the same way that the Greek people would. This is why the people of Greece are best suited to preserve, display, and fully understand the significance of the Parthenon statues.
Slippery Slopes and Practical Concerns
Some argue that returning the Parthenon Marbles to Greece will result in widespread demand to repatriate every ancient artifact. This could result in artifacts being returned to places that lack the resources to properly preserve them.
I am sympathetic to this point of view because I do not think every item should be automatically returned without careful consideration. The British Museum has successfully proven its ability to preserve items important to history. Concerns arise that unstable political regimes may gain possession of artifacts and either damage or misinterpret them.
In many cases, the British Museum has made items accessible to a far larger audience than they would be in their place of origin. The populations of regions do not remain completely the same over time. Should all artifacts related to Alexander the Great be given to the North Macedonian government? Does the modern Turkish government have a claim to every artifact from history that originates in Asia Minor?
This obviously sounds ridiculous, but at what point do we draw a line?
There are many considerations to make when determining who should possess certain historical artifacts. I do not support a one-size-fits-all policy. My argument is that the Parthenon Marbles should be reunited with other Parthenon statues at the Acropolis Museum.
Although I understand why these concerns exist, this is just a slippery slope fallacy and not a legitimate argument against returning the Parthenon Marbles. Returning the Parthenon Marbles does not mean the British Museum must empty out their inventory and close. This type of fear mongering should not affect our decision making.
The primary factor we should consider when deciding where the Parthenon Marbles should be placed is what would best honor the creators of these statues. The clear answer to this question is at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
Conclusion
The Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Athens in accordance with public opinion due to their profound cultural significance. The way that the statues were stripped from their home was disgraceful. Lord Elgin did not have the right to remove and sell parts of a great cultural monument.
Millions of people visit the Acropolis every year, and they deserve the opportunity to see every part of the Parthenon. People from across the world have shared stories of the awe they felt when seeing the Parthenon for the first time. They are in awe of humanity creating such beauty.
This beauty must always be protected and preserved. Everyone who visits the Acropolis should have the opportunity to experience all aspects of the Parthenon. I hope that one day, when I visit the Parthenon, I will be able to see the Parthenon Marbles displayed just one kilometer away at the Acropolis Museum.